Getting a degree and certification as an ultrasound technician is a multifaceted process with a number of options and branches along the way. There is not one degree or even one certification exam, but several choices depending on what branch of ultrasound you are interested in getting involved in. Ultrasound technicians work in a whole range of medical specializations and environments. That’s one of the things that make this an intriguing career choice.
The most basic type of ultrasound technician degree you can get is a certification or “diploma” from a program that lasts one year or less. This may sound good due to the reduced time and expense, but a degree of this sort will most likely not provide you with the work opportunities you want, or at least the ones you would get with a more time intensive and serious degree. For one thing, you aren’t even immediately eligible for the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (ARDMS) examination with a degree like this.
Not to discourage anyone from trying this if they just want to get their feet wet, but many of these types of programs are not CAHEEP accredited and in addition require participants to find their own “externships” or work in the field before they can move on to any more advanced levels. The trouble is that their fairly limited programs don’t qualify the student that completes them enough for them to find much job demand they can use for such real life experience. It depends on you and how much you can impress potential employers, but be aware that if you go this route, what you think you’re skipping in terms of schooling you’ll probably have to make up in pavement pounding job search and self education efforts.
A more sure fire route is to go for Associate’s and Bachelor’s degrees. Now keep in mind that this doesn’t necessarily mean that it has to be an AA or BS in ultrasound. One option is to go for a more generalized degree in the allied health field in general. In fact, as a caveat to the unfavorable perspective offered on short programs above, it should be noted that with a more generalized degree in allied health, year or year and a half duration programs are a good way to go. People in this position already have the requisite generalized degrees they need and may only to get some greater specialization dealing with ultrasound. Often these short programs then qualify them to sit for the exam and get certified.
In other words, you need to make a distinction, in terms of degrees, between students just starting out in the field (for instance just out of high school) and those pursuing ultrasound from a continuing education perspective – as an additional skill to add after they already have a background in some allied health field or other.
The important thing to keep in mind is that some form of AA or BA in a career area related to sonography and ultrasound is required in order for you to sit for the ARDMS cert exam. So if you’re just beginning, you might as well get that out of the way. It doesn’t have to be an ultrasound technician degree per se, but if you’re sure you want to go into ultrasound and sonography, you’ll do best if you go after some kind of degree that emphasizes that heavily. However, if you only think you might be interested in ultrasound, consider more wide ranging general allied health degrees to which you may add ultrasound later.
From your decision to get an AA or BS degree – during the program and onward – it’s mainly a matter of specialization. The ARDMS offers a number of certification exams/registered professional titles regarding ultrasound such as Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer (RDMS), Registered Opthalmic Ultrasound Biometrist (ROUB), and Registered Vascular Technologist (RVT).
There are also other certifications you can investigate such as those offered by The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) and Cardiovascular Credentialing International.
One last thing to keep in mind is accreditation. Check the website of The Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAHEEP) – they have listings of accredited schools by geographical location. Non accredited schools often do not include full intern or externships and, similar to the briefer programs mentioned above, require you to find your own field experience. Accredited schools are often larger institutions that offer their own internship or practical field experience opportunities as part of the ultrasound technician degree they are providing.
Think closely about your degree options and in general try to think a bit bigger, especially if you’re starting out. Do a bit of extra work and use good forethought and judgment. That extra clarity, directedness, and aspiration, as well as the education it results in, will pay off down the road.